Abstract: What is the role of religion in politics? Jürgen Habermas enunciates that religion plays an important role in the formation of public opinion. John Rawls makes a distinction between the public and nonpublic use of reason and proposes the insulation of public reason from religion. The Catholic Church in the Philippines was a powerful voice of dissent during the Marcos regime. However, the radicalized communitarian politics of President Duterte threatens the fundamental principles of deliberative democracy. For instance, the disruptions brought about by Duterte’s vitriolic attacks on the Catholic Church now present a perilous challenge to the position of the institution in the moral formation of Philippine society. Yet, the church hierarchy is also divided and its reluctance to engage with the adversarial ways of Duterte has resulted in its inability to advocate a resolute and effective moral stance against a violent drug war.